Legend of Zelderon: Twilight Prince
by Tonight-is-frightnight
Summary: Link, a poor little farm girl living a once-peaceful life in Ordon Village is thrust into a tumult of events when she attempts to rescue her friends from the shadow beasts that have been plaguing her village lately. But when she meets Midas, the strange man of Shadow, who in turn introduces her to Prince Zelderon, the ruler of the once beautiful Hyrule, things take a nose dive.
1. Prologue

_(A/N: Yes, this is gender bent! everyone's gender is appropriately switched and the names are changed to the best of my ability. But I decided to keep Link and Epona's name—It just felt right. Yes, there are some changes to the characters, but don't worry! There is a reason for everything. Okay! Please enjoy and review!)_

A single shape slinked through the Twilight world, the once lovely land of Hyrule. It was blending into the realm of shadows perfectly, as if it had been made there. And indeed it had. The blob of shadow traversed the ghostly land, expertly slithering past phantom trees and shrubbery, and soon reached a large, looming castle, drenched in darkness and empty save for the floating souls of its once physical inhabitants. The shadow scaled a parapet wall and jumped over the battlements, coming face to face with a hooded figure.

"Prince Zelderon," The shadow hissed in greeting. Even though its voice was a mere whisper, it still conveyed a teasing, impish tone through its soft voice.

"Midas," The hooded figure answered, its own voice clear and firm.

The shadow bulked and twisted in reply, rising from its lowly place at the figure's feet until it towered over the figure, now taking the form of a well muscled man, a stone mask with horns hiding the top half of his face, but cracked and worn with age so that a single red eye sparkled from under the stone. Large, glossy, black horns curled out of the back of his head, etched with ancient Hylian script in a glowing blue color. They were nested in what seemed to be hair of fire. It glowed with a fury, illuminating the space around the two figures as they stood on the parapet, curling and flickering from his mask like a large tail of flame, ending in a large, clawed hand. The hand flexed and bared its claws at the figure as if it were trying to intimidate it. The shadow man's skin seemed smooth—much like the texture of a human man's—and was colored a ghostly blue-gray color, iridescent and interrupted by swirls of black and electric, glowing blue tattoos. He was dressed in curling robes of shadow, made of what looked like black smoke. They spilled from his broad, muscled shoulders and fell to the ground, seeming to create a pool of shadow around his bare, blue-gray feet, one foot painted completely in black tattoo. Beneath his cloak of black mists, he was completely unabashed in his nakedness, for clothing was not something those of the Twilight concerned themselves with. He wore his shadow robes out of respect and courtesy for his..._acquaintance_ as they stood there on the castle wall, but what he failed to realize was that the only thing that he really needed to cover was bared to the world. His uncovered male anatomy swayed obviously when he moved, much to the figure's disgruntled disgust.

"How are you this fine evening?" The shadow called Midas drawled, leaning forward in an unrestrained bow before leaning back on the battlements, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"Don't act like you actually care," The hooded figure hissed, its face still concealed in darkness.

"Oh, I'm wounded, dear Zeldy," The shadow man gasped in mock hurt, placing a clawed hand on his chest before breaking the facade and snickering evilly.

"I told you not to call me that."

"And I told you, that I'd do what I please."

There was silence for a moment while the two glared at one another.

Prince Zelderon was the one to break the silence, however. "Have you found her yet?" He asked.

"The chosen one? Of course. Now it is just a matter of getting her _here_," Midas replied, absentmindedly looking out at the surrounding Twilight as he twiddled his thumbs.

The hooded prince hissed his disapproval. "Where?" He bit out.

"Ordon Village," the shadow man breathed, seeming to relish the feel of the words on his tongue. He grinned evilly, his sharp, fanged teeth glistening in the Twilight he called home.

"What a beautiful day, isn't it?" A rugged and fit woman asked from her place beside the spring in Faron Woods. "You've been very helpful to me lately," She added before turning to her younger companion. "And now, I have a favor to ask. Can you help me?"

The younger woman turned to look at her elder and smiled. "Of course, Rue," The young woman said.

"You haven't been to Hyrule yet, have you?" The woman asked.

"Nope," The girl chuckled nervously, running a hand through her shaggy crop of blonde hair.

"Well, I need you to deliver a special sword to Hyrule castle. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ha! If you're lucky, you might even meet prince Zelderon!"

The two laughed together at the absurdity of the notion. How could a small, rugged, slight and coarse little ranch hand named Link ever meet the legendary Prince Zelderon?


	2. Chapter 2

While Link slept in her bed early the next morning, she wasn't aware of the soft padding of feet against the grass outside her tree house. Even the soft, indignant snort of her horse, Epona, did not rouse her from her slumber. A young man, approximately the same age as the sleeping ranch hand, dressed in far nicer clothing than any normal farm boy would wear, reached a hand out to the brown horse. The horse welcomed the touch (still preferring the calloused little hands of his mistress, of course), and nodded his head into the boy's waiting hands. They were much softer than his mistress's, but he was aware of this young man's nature and his place in the community.

He was also aware of the almost _crippling _crush his young friend had on the boy. And, as the young man escorted him down the path, away from his mistress's home and toward the hot spring, Epona was almost certain that this boy knew exactly just how big a chunk of young Link's heart he currently held in a strangle hold.

Back in the small tree house, little Link only awoke when she heard the "melodious" calling of the ranch owner she worked for. She stumbled out of bed and rushed to her window, trying to pull a shirt over her head as she went. But when she peeked out side, she spotted Feda, the ranch owner, but no Epona.

"Feda!" Link cried, "Where's Epona?"

"I was just about to ask _you_ that!" The rancher returned. "I need your help today, but obviously, you won't do me much good if you can't herd anything!"

Link scoffed indignantly. How dare she? After all the work Link had put into the ranch, herding and taking care of the animals when Feda never did a lick of work around there, she was telling her that she "wouldn't be much use"?

"I'm going to find him!" Link shouted back, mostly from anger rather than for the sake of being heard. She scrambled to pull on a pair of pants and her worn, leather sandals before dashing outside and sliding down the ladder that lead up to her single-person tree house. She flashed a glare at Feda before sprinting off in the direction of the Ordon Spring.

She already knew where Epona had gotten off to. She also knew just _who_ he was with. Link smiled to herself as she jogged along the forest trail, her feet padding steadily against the dappled undergrowth. Soon, she rounded the corner and almost collided with the locked gates that lead into the bubbling spring of Ordon.

Link let out a gruff indignation of breath. As much as she _adored_ the boy she just knew was on the other side of the gate, he really pushed her buttons sometimes—and not in a good way. Still huffing and puffing, she made her way back from the gate a few yards, scanning the foliage until she found it.

She jogged up to the little hole in the side of the natural wall that blocked a passerby's view to the spring. She pushed away the green vines with excited fingertips before taking a deep breath and shoving herself into the decently-sized hole. She had gotten used to the size of the tunnel she was currently traversing. A few years ago when she had first discovered it—When that boy she so loved had _stolen_ her horse for the first time—she had felt a bit claustrophobic of course. But now that she was used to the passage, now a little cramped because even _she_ had grown a bit since her first journey through it, she crawled through it quickly and emerged on the other side.

There he was. Illinois. Just standing there, petting Link's horse in the pool of crystal clear water, looking like an _angel._ Illinois was the Mayoress's son, a boy who had never worked a day in his life. Link really had no idea why she liked him. Maybe it was the fact that he was just so gosh durn cute. Yeah. Maybe that was it. It definitely wasn't the fact that he always cared so much for everybody and all the animals. It definitely was the fact that he was so kind and sweet.

"Hey, Link!" He said suddenly, smacking Link from her thoughts like she was a bothersome fly. She looked up at him with a stupid grin and he smiled back.

"Hi, Illinois!" She returned, walking up so that she could pat Epona's muscly shoulder. Epona whinnied gratefully, happy to have his true master's hands back on him.

There was a few seconds of comfortable silence before Illinois said suddenly, "I'm sorry for taking Epona without asking. I just thought he could use a bath. You never pamper him." He added the last part with a saucy grin and Link felt her cheeks flush. She internally scolded herself for being so stupid, but smiled back anyway.

"I'm sorry, I just don't have the time...I'm usually just busy working," She explained. CRAP. Why did she just remind him that she does rugged, certainly _un_-lady-like work on a farm, _herding goats_? "He's a guy anyway, so I guess he doesn't really mind being dirty," She added, trying to salvage their conversation. OH. BUT NOW SHE JUST MADE IT WORSE. Now she sounded like some _sexist fool_ who thinks all men like being dirty and since _Illinois wasn't dirty _**_at all_**_,_ She was insulting his _masculinity_.

Oh Goddesses above, she was most definitely screwed.

But when he laughed his tinkling bell of a chuckle, she felt her heart begin to swell. "I guess you're right," He grinned, removing his hand from Epona's head. He stuffed his smooth, pretty little hands into his pockets and stood there, noting the way that Epona seemed to enjoy Link's touch much more than his own.

"He likes you better than me," Illinois said, smiling softly.

"Oh, I'm sure he likes you just fine!" Link offered, looking at him with concerned—and completely enraptured—blue eyes. Epona snorted a terribly sarcastic snort for a horse and Link shushed him harshly.

Illinois laughed his charming laugh once more before smiling and saying, "Well, I better get going, Link. My mom want's me back—I've got some studying to do. Oh, but before I go, can you play that tune that Epona likes so much? I rather like it myself."

"Oh! Yeah, okay," She said, before scanning the spring's shore for the right species of grass. She finally spotted it and picked up the brown blade of grass, coincidentally shaped like a horseshoe and took it to her lips. She inhaled slowly through her nose and began to play the little tune she had memorized, partially for the sake of calling Epona, but mostly to please Illinois.

"Hhmmm, lovely," He grinned, sighing happily. Link blushed again. "Welp, best be off, my mom will be so angry if I'm late again," He said, waving to her in farewell before departing.

Link was left standing there in a love sick daze. And it sucked.

When Link finally composed herself, she climbed atop Epona, grumbling unhappily (yet somehow with affection—if that makes any sense at all) about how tall he was and how one day she would fall from him and crack her head open. Epona snorted—something that sounded a bit like a chuckled to her ears—and they trotted through the spring gates and down the forest trail. They passed Link's tree house and rode into town just before the sun peaked overhead.

Epona carried Link through town as she shouted, grinned, and waved greetings at the villagers and they returned the greetings with happy faces because she was their favorite little ranch hand, a good kid; innocent, naive, no real knowledge of the world, untouched by peril and heartache. She wasn't brave, because she didn't need to be. And they liked that about her.

Suddenly, Link caught sight of Rue, her mentor and idol, the one who had asked her to take a special Ordon sword to Hyrule so that Link could get out of the village and see the world. Link waved from her perch atop Epona and Rue smiled back, her laugh lines evident on her face.

"Link!" Rue said, walking up to her. "I just wanted to thank you again for taking the job for me."

"Oh it's no problem," Link smiled, waving a hand as if to physically brush off Rue's gratitude.

"No really, I owe you a lot," She smiled, patting her stomach.

And then Link knew. "Oh wow! Rue, congratulations!" She squealed, clapping her hands together.

The woman smiled kindly before saying, "Ah, that reminds me. Colleen is making a fishing pole for you. She's working really hard on it, and it's actually turning out pretty good in my opinion. It should be ready tomorrow."

"That sounds great! Tell her I said thank you and I'll be by tomorrow to pick it up."

"Can do," Rue smiled. "Now be off! Before Feda has a fit!"

Link giggled and nodded before trotting off to Ordon Ranch to begin her day's work.

Needless to say, Feda was pissed. She figured that Link had taken her sweet time on purpose and ran her so hard that when Link returned to her tree house later that night, she was completely wiped out. She rolled into bed, not even bothering to shed her filthy, "I-smell-of-goats-and-manure" shirt and pants and conked out as soon as her head of fluffy blond hair hit the pillow.

She dreamed dark things that night, dreams of danger and darkness, dreams of shadows and a large castle shrouded in twilight. She dreamed of a hooded figure and a man, dressed in wispy robes of black smoke, naked and proud of it. His stone mask was eerie in the twilight, fangs glistening and hungry, a flaming hand waving at her in the most snarky fashion possible. The hooded figure was beckoning to her as well, a gloved hand crooking in her direction.

"There you are little wolf," The shadow man growled, grinning at her evilly once more. "We've been waiting for you." His voice was gravelly and distorted, the air around him seeming to bend and twist with a mere movement of his body.

Link looked down—She didn't know why, she just did— and saw wolf paws where her hands should be, she tried to speak, but only a rough bark escaped her lips.

"Don't be afraid," The hooded figure said softly. "But you must come to us. We need you."

And then, with a flick of his wrist and a "I think she's had enough," The shadow man snapped his fingers and sent Link back to the world of the light.


End file.
